The present invention relates to a driving device for a closing arrangement of a vehicle-tank filler neck.
Closing arrangements that can be actuated by means of a driving device and are intended for vehicle-tank filler necks are described, for example, in AT 403 141, AT 403 563 or DE 43 40 418. Such closing arrangements use either what is referred to as the "lead-free flap" or separate shut-off valves within the filler neck as an alternative to the well-known filler caps to allow the neck to be closed after refueling. The mouth of the filler neck and the closing arrangement are situated in a set-back area of the vehicle body which is covered, during driving, by a body flap which ends flush with the body.
These closing systems are particularly suitable for use in robotic fueling systems in which the driver unlocks the closing arrangement remotely without leaving the driver's seat, possibly also at the same time opening the body flap to allow the robotic fuel pump nozzle to start the refueling operation immediately.
The driving device for the closing arrangement must meet various requirements. On the one hand, it must be ensured for safety reasons that the closing arrangement does not open unintentionally when shocks occur or in the event of a crash and that it offers sufficient resistance to unauthorized attempts at entry, and, on the other hand, for reasons of operational reliability and maintenance, it should also be possible to actuate it quickly and simply by hand when necessary, even if the drive motor, i.e. the electronics, pneumatics, hydraulics or the like, fail completely. It is the aim of the present invention to unite these different requirements.